Progressing hobby-horse.



O. W. BADGER. PROGRESSING HOBBY HORSE. APPLICATION TILED 001'. 12, 1906.RENEWED JAN.14,1909.

Patented Aug. 3, 1909. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 WITNESSES A TTOHNE 0. W. BADGER.

PROGRESSING HOBBY HORSE. APPLICATION FILED 001 .12, 1906. RENEWED13.11.14, 1909.

Patented Aug. 3, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

/NVENTO/? W/ TNE SSE S ATTORNEK sectional view, at line ee of Fig. 1.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

OREN W. BADGER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROGRESSING HOBBY-HORSE.

Specification ofLettera Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 1909 Application filed: October 12, 1906, Serial No.388,562. Benewed'January 14, 1909. Serial No. 472,372.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OREN W. BADGER, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Progressing Hobby-Horses, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadtherein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates especially to hobbytween the f-ront and rearlegmeces, andmeans for causing a forward movement of the horse whentheweight of the rider is transferred from the saddle mounted on the body,to the stirrups; all of which will be hereinafter first fully described,and'then pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my progressinghobby-horse, with the sidewall of the body removed. Fig. 2 is anenlarged, vertical, sectional view at line aa of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is ahorizontal sectional ow at line 0-0 oi Fig. 1, looking downward. Fig. 4is an enlarged, horizg ntal, '1g. 5 is an enlarged, detail view of thehorizontalspring mechanism.

Similar numerals of reference, wherever they occur, indicatecorrespondingparts inall the figures. I

1 is the back-piece of the horse body, and 2 is a saddle mountedthereon.

3 are thin side-pieces, fastened to and depending from the back-piece.

4 is the rear leg-piece, hinged to the piece 1 at 5. a

The feet 6 are supported on wheels 7, and are provided with stops 8which engage the floor when the horse is being operated, and whileallowing the feet to move forward, prevent any retrogression or backwardmovement.

9 is the front leg-piece, hinged to the piece 1 at 10.

11 are rods, having cranks 12 at their upper extremities, and extendinglongitudinally through the front legs to the feet 13, which are separatefrom the legs, and free to move horizontally, independent of the movement of the legs, this movement being describedand claimed in UnitedStates Letters Patent No. 818,826, dated April 24, 1906, issued toAdrian Hit-t, and assigned to me. The cranks 12 extend through slots 14in plates 15 fixed to the neck 16, said neck being hinged to the piece 1at 18 and free to move from side to side, when pulled upon by the bridlerein 17.

Secured to the leg-pieces within the body, are eyes 19, and. pivotedthereto are togglebars 20 and 21, pivoted together at 22. Bars 20 areprovided with extensions 23 to which stirrup-straps 24 are connected,said straps passing over rollers 25 mounted on the backpiece, and downto stirrups26. The rollers 25 permit a side movement of thestirrupstraps, as well as a vertical movement.

Mounted in bearings 36 on the front and rear leg-pieces, are spirals orscrews 27, each provided with a manipulating hand-wheel 28. Onthe'screws 27 are located links, 29, engaging ,a strong outer spring,30, anda weaker innerspring 31.

32 is a spring passing from the piece 1 to each toggle.

33 is a yoke which limits the movement of the leg-pieces on the hingesconnecting them to the back-piece 1.

When constructed and arranged in accordance with the foregoingdescription, the operation of my improved progressing hobby-horse is asfollows: The spring mechanism between the leg-pieces is first adjustedin accordance with the weight of the rider; if a light weight, thescrews 27 are rotated so as to carry the springs upward, lessening thedistance between the bearings of the springs and the leg-hinges, whichconstitute the center of movement. For a heavier rider, the springs aremoved downward, thus increasing the distance of the bearings from thecenter of movement, and consequently providing for a greater stretch ofthe springs. The rider places his feet in the stirrups, and as long asthe weight of his body is supported by the stirrups, 1n the positionshown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, and there is no actionof the movableparts. of the device. weight of the body from the stirrups to the Bytransferring the the toggles are held saddle, the toggles are released,and the weight of the body causes the front legs to move forward,retrograde movement of the hind legs being ]-]'t-VG]1i/0(l by the stops8 coming in contact with the floor, and the legs will move on theirhinges until the body is depressed as far as the yokcs 33 will porwitthe legs to move. This action throws the front legs forward,stretchingthe spring mechanism connecting the leg pieces, straighteningout the toggles, and stretching the springs 32, while at the same timethe stirrups are drawn upward close to the body of the horse. As thedevice begins to operate, the smaller, weaker spring first acts toretard and regulate the depression of the body, and. then the largerspring comes into play, and at the same time the springs 32 act on thetoggles. Not only does the spring mechanism insure a proper and gradualmovement of the parts, but also materially assists in the reversemovement thereof when the horse progresses. When the legs are fullextended and the body depressed to the lowest point, the rider bearsupon the stirrups, removing the weight of his body oil of the saddle.This action brings the toggles gradually back to their initialpositions, and as the stops 8 on the front feet prevent backwardmovement, the horse is drawn forward until all of the parts of themechanism are back in their orignial positions, and repetitions of suchactions of the rider cause the horse to progress, such forward movementbeing varied from a straight line by drawing the head to the right orleft, as desired, causing the feet 13 to partially rotate horizontally,and varying the angle of movement of the wheels 7 with respect to thedirect line with the horse-body.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new therein anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A progressing hobby-horse in which is comprised a hollow body, frontand rear legpieces hinged to the interior of the backpiece of the body;spring mechanism extending between the front and rear leg-pieces,

and means for causing a forward movement of the horse when the weight ofa rider is transferred from the saddle or back of the horse to thestirrups and a pair of stirrups.

2. A progressing hobby-horse in which is comprised a hollow body; frontand rear legpieces hinged to the interior of the body; ad-

justable spring mechanism extending be tween the front and rearleg-pieces, andv means for causing the forward movement of the horsewhen the weight of a rider is transferred from the saddle or back of thehorse, to the stirrups and a pair of stirrups.

2 A progressing hobby-horse in which is comprised a hollow body; frontand rear legpieces hinged within the body; adjustabe spring mechanismextending between the leg-pieces; means for icausing a forward movementof the horse when the weight of a rider is transferred from the back ofthe horse to the stirrups, and a pair of stirrups and means for varyingthe direction of progression.

4. In a progressing hobby-horse, a hollow body, bearing a fixed saddle;leg-pieces hinged to the interior of the back-piece of the body; barspivoted to the leg-pieces and to each other; stirrup-straps attacheddirectly to the said bars inproximity to their pivotal connections, anda pair of stirrups, the Whole combined and arranged substantially asshown and described.

5. In a progressing hobby-horse, the combination with the leg-pieceshinged to the back-piece, of bearings secured to the legpieces, screwsmounted in said bearings and provided with manipulating hand-wheels, andspring mechanism extending between said screws, and carried thereby.

6. In a progressing hobby-horse, a hollow body, bearing a fixed saddle;leg-pieces hinged to the interior of the back-piece of the body; barspivoted to the leg-pieces and to each other; stirrup-straps attacheddirectly to the said bars in proximity totheir pivotal connections andpassing over roller bearings above the said bars, and then downward, anda pair of stirrups, the whole combined and arranged substantially asshown and described. 7. In a progressing hobby-horse, the combinationwith movable leg-pieces and toggles connecting said leg-pieces, ofstirrup-straps connected to the toggles, and passing over rollers fixedabove the toggles.

In testimony whereof I hereto affix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

OREN W. BADGER.

l/Vitnesses:

LOUIS F. BRAUN, A. M. PIERCE.

